Memoirs of the Maxwells of Pollok > Correspondence

1634.] FAMILY AND DOMESTIC LETTERS. 251
the Castell, that wee may not gif our enemies occasion to tak advantage ; and
gif any thing of the rents beis resting, yow know how to mak wsse of it ; for
owr condition heir will serve ws for an afpwtting till we sie a better. Bot to
be frie with yow, this employment is very wncerten and ckargable ; for gif a
man desing to hawe greater preferment, he sail be forst to spend mor nor all
the benefit he can mak be his place, howbeit he war pwnctwally weill payed,
as we ar not. Yow seim desirws to sie me at horn gif my adoes cowld per-
mitte ; bot that can not be conveniently, becaws wee expect shortly the army
sail be stwrring, and non of ws at these occasions can be absent with owr
credeit. Bot agenst the nixt wintix, gif owr bosines goe not better, it is pos-
sible I cwm horn and sie yow ; for be that tym I think to be a sogowr expert
anwch to keipe the Castell of Dwmbarten. I hear yow hawe cawsed premonich
my wnkle Sir Thomas Boyd, for my monys, bot that ther is small howps of
payment ; wharfor zee desire that I sowld advertis yow gif zee sail proseid ony
farder be law. All that I can say to yow in that particwlar is, that gif my
wnkle Sir Thomas, will gif good swrtie for twalve thowsand rnerks at the term
of Wotsonday, then I am content that yow gif him a frie discharge of all ; so
mwch is my love and compassion to his misery, notwithstanding it be to mowch
for me to lose. Bot gif he be not content with this, yow will be pleased to wse
the extremetie of the law agenst him, gif yow find it the swrest way. This
mwch yow hawe from me for yowr warrand ; bot gif zee think the sowrn of
twelve thowsand rnerks to Htle, or to mwch, to be exactid af him, then cwtt and
carve as zow find expedient. Gif yow think it fitting to place Mr. William
Cochren constable of the castell, dwring my absence, doe it freily. For my own
pairt, I hawe no desing to on by another ; and gif me lord, my brother, hes a
desing to any, he will advertise yow of it. This for the present, with my ser-
vice remembrid to yowr lady, and sail ever continow,
Yowr worship's most affectionat to serwe yow,
S. Wil. Hamilton.
Nansy, the 2 of Februar 1634.
Hew Cochren and his brother ar both in good halth, and remembers ther
service to yow. Your man, Barnard Stewart, is recoverid from a great seiknes.